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October 2016

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, regulators increase the menhaden catch limit; Americans added an extra pound of seafood to their diet in 2015; a recent fish kill spurs demand that the feds tie dam licensing to safeguards; Maine shellfish farming could quadruple by 2030; and tar sand oil shipped through the Gulf of Maine poses a treat. … More Info »

Yesterday, NOAA Fisheries released its annual Fisheries of the United States report for 2015, which the agency refers to as the “yearbook of fishery statistics for the United States.” It provides information on commercial and recreational fisheries as well as aquaculture production.

Menhaden is “not just another stinky fish” but an important forage species that predators, such as whales and ospreys, and other fish depend on. The ASMFC is voting today on menhaden catch limits for 2017 with pressure from the industry to increase quotas. The commission, however, should consider an ecosystem-based approach and maintain the current catch limits. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, NOAA Fisheries announces a new NEFSC Director; the New York Times highlights successful dam removals in Maine; tropical fish arrive in Cape Cod waters; Gorton’s Seafood taps into consumer demand to meet new market challenges; lowly soft sediments are essential for productive fisheries; and a U.S. court say animals can be listed as threatened if climate change poses a risk. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, NOAA Fisheries reviews its method for estimating discarded fish; ASMFC will debate a 2017 shrimp moratorium; the Northeast Ocean Plan emerges as a development tool; an interstate lobster conservation plan is up for a key vote soon; the bait crisis is over, but Maine lobstermen are still feeling the pinch; and a decision to come soon on how many Scallopers Mainers can catch this year. … More Info »

National Standard 1 is regularly identified as the bedrock of sustainable U.S. fisheries management: prevent overfishing while producing optimum yield from the nation’s fisheries. The latter objective imports the linked statutory requirement that overfished stocks should be rebuilt as quickly as biologically possible. But NOAA Fisheries’ revisions seem determined to shake this foundation. … More Info »

Protecting U.S. fisheries from overfishing, and restoring populations of fish that are at unsustainably low levels, just got a little tougher. On Oct. 13, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) announced a final version of guidelines to implement National Standard 1, which directs fisheries managers to prevent overfishing while attaining the greatest economic, ecological, and social benefits for the nation. National Standard 1 is the most important of the 10 standards that guide fisheries managers’ implementation of the nation’s primary fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The final rule contains several critical deficiencies. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, the European Union decides that it won’t ban imports of American lobster; there were no oysters at this year’s OysterFest; shellfish harvested from RI waters test negative for toxins; York Harbor officials and fishermen stand up for dredging funds; and the herring fishery closes along New England’s coast. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, new National Standard guidelines prioritize short-term profit over long-term sustainability; MA fishermen test weaker ropes so whales can break through them; barndoor skates are declared rebuilt in New England; New England states announce shellfish closures; and researchers use ‘robomussels’ to monitor climate change. … More Info »

In this edition of Fish Talk in the News, October is National Seafood Month; could man-made noise interfere with cod reproduction?; MAFMC says no to river herring and shad federal management plan; changes could come to the east coast monkfish business; Maine fisheries experts head to Japan to learn scallop practices and buy machinery; a reward is being offered to solve the lobster boat sinking case; an op-ed discusses industry-led trawl surveys; the recreational season opens for dwindling scallops in Buzzards Bay; and the White House selects Champions of Change for Sustainable Seafood. … More Info »